A STATELY STANDOFF: Many farmers in the area, especially bigger operators like Santa Maria’s Victor Tognazzini (pictured), are up in arms as the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board — after years’ worth of bad news about presumably ag-related pollution — is considering a revamped rule that would require farmers to monitor the water quality of their runoff and wells.

STAND AND DELIVER: Love him or hate him, there is no denying T.C. Boyle’s (pictured above at the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum) prolific powers with the written word. A happy S.B. resident for the better part of the past two decades, Boyle made his 13th novel a local affair, with much of the action taking place in Santa Barbara or out on the Channel Islands. Even better, at its core is a vast and varied debate about one of Santa Barbara’s most beloved topics – environmentalism and the role of humans on this planet.

Decaying Realities: Pig skulls, like this one found on Santa Cruz Island a few years back, were an ironic calling card of progress as authorities worked to eradicate the unwanted pig population in the name of helping native species, like the Island Fox, come back from the brink of extinction. “It is a turf war,” said Boyle about such efforts. “It is so interesting to think about what animals are privileged
and [which] have to go … It is fascinating.”

Perfecting Paradise: For a number of years now, folks from the Channel Islands National Park – Anacapa Island with Santa Cruz Island beyond (pictured) – have been going to great lengths to restore the island chain back to its native state. This process has, on several occasions, required the systematic killing of invaders like rats and pigs and the removal of other species like the Golden eagle. The concept of killing critters to save others has had its fair share of critics, and the resulting drama and related philosophic questions provide the jumping-off point for T.C. Boyle’s new novel, When the Killing’s Done.